This invention relates to a game of skill, and, more particularly, to a game in which game pieces are moved from one position to another, primarily upwardly and downwardly, by manipulation of a pair of tethered strings.
The concept of utilizing a pair of strings attached at one end to a suitable support at a level higher than the position of the operator wherein separation of the strings by the operator causes an article, such as a toy aircraft through which the pair of strings pass, to travel uphill along the strings, has been known in the prior art as exemplified by U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,676,989 and 3,893,256. In the latter patent, the strings are attached to a wall, for example, at a point above the head of the operator and pass through the body of a toy aircraft. When the strings are separated by grasping handles on the free ends of the strings, the aircraft is caused to move uphill along the strings, and when the strings are again brought together, the aircraft travels back down along the strings at a rate controllable by the amount of separation of the handles. In these patents, the concept is embodied in a toy, usable by a single person, and involves manipulation of the strings solely for the purpose of causing a toy aircraft to move up and down along the strings to simulate the flight of an aircraft; that is, the degree of manipulative dexterity required to control the movement of the aircraft is minimal, and being strictly an entertainment device, it does not encourage the improvement of manipulative skills, nor does it afford an opportunity for competitiveness, either against time or against another player.